Furious Five
The Furious Five (also known as "The Five") is a quintet of skilled Kung Fu warriors famed throughout all of China. Each of them attaining the rank of Master, the Five were trained by Master Shifu in the " " of - the , , , , and styles respectively. Given that Shifu referred to Po by his species name while and before training him, it is hinted that each member of the Furious Five might have or had their own individual names before training to become Kung Fu warriors. However, director John Stevenson stated in The Art of Kung Fu Panda book that they purposely intended to "call the individual members of the Furious Five by the names of their fighting styles. had experimented with using personalized character names, but in the end kept returning to the simplicity of the generic name."Miller-Zarneke, Tracey. The Art of Kung Fu Panda, p. 57. : Members of the Furious Five History Beginnings It is currently not explained how exactly the Furious Five came together. However, since each were under the same instructor (presumably around the same time), it is likely Master Shifu brought them together and formed the group. This being the case, it is also unknown when and where exactly Shifu may have gained each member - with the exception of Master Tigress whom he adopted. Despite this, however, the Furious Five were formed less than (if not exactly) twenty years ago prior to the events of the first film because of the rampage and eventual incarceration of Tai Lung. Within that time, the Five had been mastering their individual styles and gaining fame across China through various assignments, distress calls, and battles. One of such was the Battle of Weeping River, which Po collectively pointed out during his first conversation with one of the Five; according to him, the Five were outnumbered a thousand to one (indicating at least five thousand enemies), but their skill and determination proved victorious. In Kung Fu Panda In Kung Fu Panda, Po's fanatic "idolatry" of the Furious Five is constantly made apparent. The movie opens with one of his dreams where he is seen as a Kung Fu warrior fighting alongside the Furious Five. When he wakes from the dream and finds himself on the floor of his bedroom, his fanatic obsession is further illustrated with pictures and action figures of the Five decorating the small room (thus revealing how popular the Furious Five had become within that twenty year time span). Palace attendants later hang up announcement portraits throughout the Valley village declaring the Furious Five's participation in the Dragon Warrior tournament, where one of them will be selected by Master Oogway to receive the Dragon Scroll. Having narrowly been locked out of the tournament, Po tries numerous attempts to get in; meanwhile, the Five perform in front of their spectators and masters in the Palace's arena, displaying their skills individually by interacting with various weapon-wielding wooden contraptions. Once all but Master Tigress had performed, Oogway indicates the time for selection. However, when it seems like Oogway was about to select Tigress, Po's final attempt with a firework chair lands him right in between the two and is declared the Dragon Warrior instead, much to everyone's surprise. Although Shifu tried to intervene, Oogway replies, "There are no accidents," and carries out with his decision. The Five, meanwhile, respectfully remain stationary, believing to have failed their Master. Throughout much of the movie, the Furious Five (as well as their Master) remain reluctant to Master Oogway's decision - especially Tigress when it seemed like she was about to be selected. After the tournament, the Five return to the Training Hall to run through some of the set-ups, which later display to Po the severely advanced level of the course. All Five step off the course when Shifu asks Po to show his skill with the Adversary. Po hesitates, seeing that his idols would also be watching him, but eventually punches it, only to have the Adversary rebound and shove him into the Hall's courses. The Five and Shifu watch as Po clumsily fails each of the courses. Afterwards, the Five head to the student barracks for the night, (Po following a small distance behind them), and each of them share their sarcastic doubts on Oogway's decision. The following day proved no different as Po showed up for a second day of severe training with Shifu and each of the Five. By this point, however, the Five are somewhat sympathetic towards the struggling panda as Masters Mantis and Viper help with acupuncture, and Master Tigress shares with him the story of Tai Lung (Masters Crane and Monkey listening in from the other room). The Five and Po later share a meal together in the barracks' kitchen/dining hall. Po's stories, humor, as well as his delicious noodle soup please the Five - excluding Tigress who disregards him and eats tofu instead - and cause them to warm up even more to the panda. However, when Shifu then brings the news of Oogway's passing and Tai Lung's escape, the Five's doubts arise once more and try to reason with their Master to let them stop Tai Lung. But Shifu declines them, telling them it wasn't their destiny to do so. Desperate to still try and do something about it, the Five run away from the Palace out into the night. They travel for days before they reach the edge of the Valley where they encounter Tai Lung. All six Kung Fu warriors engage in a battle of incredible skill and prowess, but only to have Tai Lung come out victorious with a chi block on four of the Five - sparing Crane so he is able to carry the rest back to the Palace in means of a message. Shifu and Po had just finished another day's worth of extensive training when the Five return, Crane exhausted and the others paralyzed. The Five tell about their grieving experience, which places doubt into Po when he realizes that not even his idols - five Kung Fu Masters - could stop Tai Lung. But Shifu still believes he can defeat him, and they all go to the Hall of Warriors in the Jade Palace to retrieve the Dragon Scroll for Po. Shifu and the Five watch as Po opens the scroll, and appear just as confused when he says it's blank. Believing nothing else could be done, Shifu offers to stay behind to hold back Tai Lung while they and the rest of the Valley escape. Master and students share a final respectful bow, knowing that Tai Lung may very well kill him. While Po went to find his father, the Five assist in evacuating the Valley. They were all just about out of the Valley when a large golden gust pulses and blows past them. The Five and the other villagers return to investigate, and find Po victorious in his battle with Tai Lung. Marveling at the panda's skill that enabled him to do what they could not, Tigress leads the others of the Five (as well as the villagers) in a bow in respects to Po as a Kung Fu Master, signifying Tigress' acceptance of Po as the Dragon Warrior. In Secrets of the Furious Five In Secrets of the Furious Five, Po shares with his Kung Fu class how even the Furious Five had to discover how they could achieve "excellence of self" before becoming great Kung Fu Masters. He illustrates this by sharing each of the Five's individual stories of how they came to discovering one of the philosophical concepts of Kung Fu that helped them to ultimately better themselves. Master Mantis discovered the power of patience, which enabled him to communicate effectively with others as well as aid him in battle; Master Viper achieved the power of courage when she helped to save her father when he was in distress from a gorilla bandit; Master Crane attained the power of confidence through his Kung Fu tryouts, which aids him in all his many confrontations; Master Tigress found the discipline she needed to help her control her strength and tame her temper; and finally, Master Monkey discovered the power of compassion, recognizing how to use his skills for the good of others when such power was used by Oogway in saving his life. In Kung Fu Panda Holiday Following the events in Kung Fu Panda, the Five continue to protect the Valley of Peace in Kung Fu Panda Holiday, now having Po alongside them. During a battle with some boar bandits, Po shares with the Five of how he is to host the annual Winter Feast banquet at the Jade Palace. The Five are at first shocked by this, believing that a clumsy and unsophisticated panda probably shouldn't be hosting such an important event. Po disagrees with their doubts, but is very quickly overwhelmed by all the responsibilities of organizing the event. He eventually comes to sense in realizing he may need some help. He requests help from the Five, who aid in place settings by using their various skills to quickly and accurately set up a well-organized dinner table. Later that evening, the Five take their place at the formal dinner with Po, Shifu, and other various Kung Fu Masters. Feeling distraught over having to choose between his responsibilities as Dragon Warrior and to his family, Po has a change of heart as he shares with the other Masters his past experiences of the Winter Feast with his family; and knowing he wants to be both a good host and a good son, he quietly excuses himself to fulfill that promise made to his father. The Five - as well as the other Masters - sympathize with Po's thoughts, reminiscing on other joyful aspects of the holiday, and eventually leave as well to join Po at the noodle shop for the festivities. The Five wish Po a happy holiday, and then later join in a portrait. In Kung Fu Panda 2 Coming Soon! Trivia *During the development process, there was talk of cutting one of the five and making them the Furious Four, but everyone had grown so attached to them all that DreamWorks couldn't part with any of the characters.Kung Fu Panda Fun Facts by HP *When Po and the Five eat together, there are 64 noodles in each bowlKung Fu Panda Fun Facts by HP, excluding Master Tigress who eats instead. Gallery Furious five.jpg|Original concept of the Furious Five by Christophe Lautrette and Raymond Zibach ConceptFuriousFive.JPG|Concept artwork of the Five's fighting styles by Nicolas Marlet References Category:Groups